The present invention relates generally to conveyor belts, more specifically to endless conveyor belts comprising a plurality of link members, which are interconnected in such manner that the conveyor belt is movable along a curved path essentially in the plane of the conveyor belt and is also movable about a guide roller.
Such conveyor belts are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,938,651, 4,603,776 and 4,941,567. What the conveyor belts according to these publications have in common is that they consist of link members with side links, which permit the conveyor belt to follow a helical path, in which a superjacent conveyor belt part is directly supported by a subjacent conveyor belt part.
Other examples of conveyor belts of the type mentioned by way of introduction are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,225,893, 3,261,451 and 4,875,343. Also these conveyor belts can follow a helical path but are there at least on one side supported by separate supporting rails.
Regarding the above-mentioned conveyor belts, it is a general rule that the transition between a straight path and a curved path forces an extension of the conveyor belt on its one side and/or a shortening of the conveyor belt on its other side. This causes a relative motion between at least parts of the upper side of the conveyor belt and products carried by this upper side. Owing to this condition, certain products, such as pieces of dough, are difficult to transport by means of such a belt conveyor.